


More Trouble

by bornforwar_archivist



Series: Double Trouble [2]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Babies, F/M, Kid Fic, Toddlers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-31
Updated: 2006-12-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 07:17:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19043764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bornforwar_archivist/pseuds/bornforwar_archivist
Summary: By Briar.The terrible two are a little older, but not wiser. The continued adventures of the toddlers. Xena, Gabrielle, and Cyrene persevere. Ares sweats it out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Delenn, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Born For War](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Born_For_War), which closed in 2015. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in March 2016. If you have questions, you may contact me using the e-mail address on [Born For War collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bornforwar).
> 
> _This story was originally written by beloved fandom member, Briar. Tragically, Briar passed away several years prior to the archive's closing. As the archive had permission to house Briar's works prior to their passing, we place this fic here in memorial and memory, and to share their work with the world. Briar, you are missed._
> 
> **Here are Briar's original Disclaimers and Notes:**  
>  Disclaimer: I own no rights whatsoever to any characters from Xena:Warrior Princess, I am only borrowing them for the length of this story. This story is for the amusement and entertainment of my friends in the Ares and Xena Shippers club. I promise to return the characters intact when I am finished with them. I am making no money from this story.

Handling either child by themself wasn't a problem. Put them together and you didn't just add trouble, you multiplied it by an order of 10. What one couldn't think of, the other could. The constant instigation and encouragement of the other had both of them sitting in the corner more and more often. Exasperation had become Xena's constant companion of late. So far, it hadn't had much of an effect on her relationship with Ares. He would commiserate with her when she told him of the latest escapade of the pair. Sometimes he would laugh aloud at her descriptions of their antics. He had come to really care about those two rascals. They were chaos incarnate and appealed to his sense of humor immensely. You'd never think of the God of War having a sense of humor, but have one he did. 

They weren't really bad, they were just chock full of energy and looking for an outlet, any outlet. This particular day started out with Jeb falling and skinning his knee. He promptly got a lot of sympathy and the privilege of kissing one grubby little knee all better fell to Gabrielle. She rolled her eyes at Cyrene even as she completed the action with a hug. Eve was not at all happy with the situation. It wasn't that bad of a booboo. Just a little scrape. How come he was getting all the attention? She ran up to her grandmother and raised her arms to be lifted up. Cyrene obliged, and held her close for a moment. Then Xena called from the kitchen door. "Mom?" She put Eve down and she and Gabrielle went to see what the problem was. The two children were on their own again. This was not at all what they had wanted. Eve was disgusted with the situation, how come Jeb got more time. 

Eve and Jeb began a game of tag. Since Eve was five months older, she could run faster. This meant that Jeb never could catch her but that she could always catch him. He soon got tired of that game. He could never win. He went and got a ball, throwing it over Eve's head. She turned and ran after it. They tossed it back and forth for a while. B..o..r..ing. Finally, they decided to go back in the house for a while. 

The three women were preparing food for the dining room. They now had permanent help in the actual running of the place. They had a full time bartender and one serving woman. This gave them more time for the children and Cyrene was still making a good profit. The town was growing rapidly. The presence of the Warrior Princess had a lot to do with that. People felt quite safe living in the same town as a warrior of her reputation. Cyrene had added on three more bedrooms, and was now calling the place an Inn rather than a tavern. Inns had a higher class reputation than taverns. Besides there was a tavern on the edge of town, for the rougher crowd and the teenagers to hang out in. Their Inn had the higher class clientele. All the elders and business owners ate with their families at the Inn occasionally. Since she also had a large barn in back, travelers were better served at the Inn. Cyrene had also hired Joxer as her barn boy. He took good care of all the horses in his bailiwick. There was even a large tack room, where they had set up a bed for him. 

Joxer also ate in the kitchen with the family. They had been forced to purchase a larger kitchen table since with that many people eating there, they needed the space. The Inn's dining room opened at seven in the morning and there were many people who ate there regularly. The food was always good, the place was always clean, and the employees and management were friendly. People brought their young children to play with the resident terrors, who were usually on their best behavior while there in the dining room. One of the three female adults were usually keeping an eye on them. There were people there at all hours of the day, if only to hear the latest news as they downed a cold one. 

There were occasional periods of quiet, when only the family and crew were there. The crew loved those two little imps and occasionally played with them if there was time. There was no one there when the two children reentered the house and proceeded into the dining room to play with their toys. The bartender was a jovial sort, and was a newer resident in the village. He had two small ones of his own and knew just what to do to entertain the two. He could do any number of small magical tricks such as make coins appear from all sorts of unlikely places and other things of the like. The children loved him. He entertained them for a few minutes until a customer entered through the front doors and then, reluctantly, he got up to take care of business. The customer was a stranger, but nonetheless was greeted with a smile. 

The stranger sat down at a table and ordered a late breakfast with ale. The bartender called the food order into the kitchen and proceeded to draw the ale. The stranger, in the meantime, had been looking around. It didn't take long for him to spot the children. They had gotten in a small squabble and had raised their voices. Xena heard the ruckus and came out to see what the problem was. She didn't pay any attention to the stranger, but simply walked over into the corner and settled the dispute. She then proceeded to go back into the kitchen. The stranger had observed the situation with a slight smile on his face. Now he knew for sure. Xena was indeed in this town and she did have children in her care. It didn't matter if they were her own or not, she obviously felt responsible for them. 

He finished his meal quietly and left. It didn't take him much time at all to gather his friends, who had been waiting outside of town. He filled them in on the situation and they prepared to make their move. He wanted Xena to pay for what she'd done. She had raided his village many years ago and killed his younger brothers. She hadn't actually taken a sword to them, but they had been run down by the horses of her men. She was to blame and she was going to pay. 

The men gathered in the woods behind the Inn. They watched as the children came back out to play. They waited until the children were back near the fence and two of them quickly leaped over the fence and grabbed the children. Eve screamed loudly but within a moment was silenced by a large hand. Both children were passed over the fence, which the men then leaped over. They all mounted their hidden horses and rode quickly away, the children held before them. 

Screams were not an uncommon occurrence with children, so it was a few moments before someone checked on them. Cyrene was the one to see the men carrying the children into the woods and screamed for Xena. "They've taken the children!" she cried. Xena made a quick dash into the back yard and to the side of her mother. "What happened?" she asked anxiously. "I just saw several men carrying the children into the woods." Cyrene said quickly. Xena made a fast run across the yard, flipped over the fence, and made a sweep of the area. The tracks of five men with horses were clearly apparent to her search. She would need Argo. 

She quickly made her way to the barn. Joxer had already been informed of the matter and had saddled Argo. She mounted Argo and urged her into a canter. She was on their tracks before anyone else had a chance to even think about what to do. Cyrene hated to call on Ares for help but it might be necessary. She called out the name of Ares. He appeared almost instantly. With one raised eyebrow he gave her a questioning look. "They've taken the children!" she told him anxiously. "WHHAAT?" he yelled. "Who dared to do that idiotic stunt?" "I don't know, several men appeared in the back yard and snatched the children before we could do anything about it. Xena's gone after them, but she didn't wait for anyone to help. Please.....?"she begged. She hadn't any more than gotten the words out of her mouth than he was gone. 

Xena caught up with them before too many miles and drew her sword. Giving her trademark war cry, she attacked. She had disabled two of them and killed a third, when she was brought up short. The final two men were holding knives to the children's throats. "Drop the sword! Do it or they die." The one man ordered. She reluctantly did as he said. "Get off the horse." he went on. She complied. The men took turns dismounting, each still holding a captive child. "Why are you doing this, they've never done you any harm. Why would you want to hurt children, any children?" Xena asked anxiously. "You want to know why, I'll tell you why. You are responsible for the deaths of my two younger brothers. They were killed during your attack on my village, years ago, and I've never forgiven you for that." he replied. "But that was a different me..the evil me..I'm not like that now." she stated quietly. "It doesn't matter a bit to me, which of you is guilty, you're going to pay!" "Leave the children out of it, they weren't even born at that time." she said. "No, but they're someone you care about and it's only fair." he replied. She couldn't possibly save both children, and there was no way to decide which one to save. It was a stalemate. Suddenly, Ares appeared and matters changed drastically. He appeared between the two men, grabbed each child by a hand, and promptly disappeared with them. The two assailants were flabbergasted. They no longer held the winning cards. Xena took out both of them with her Chakram. There was no way they were coming back later to cause more trouble. 

Ares had safely returned both of the children to their family. Xena had returned a little later, with five horses. Two of them each had a man tied securely on it's back and the other three had bodies attached. The two survivors had been sent for justice. Kidnapping was a serious crime, since typically it was only the children of the wealthy and the nobility that were targets. The punishment therefore was terrible.. 

That night, Xena and Ares discussed the kidnapping of the children. Xena thanked Ares for his help. She didn't know what she'd have done without it. He promptly asked what kind of payment he could expect for his efforts. This was said with a grin and a raised eyebrow, so she knew he wasn't serious. She pretended to think for a long moment and then said. "Well now, why don't we start with this?" She kissed him teasingly. "And this?" She continued with the kisses - more passionate now - and began to roam her hands over his person. "And how about this?" Now she was getting really personal! He grinned and said. "That'll do for a start.... however, I was thinking more along this line......"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for notes.

The kidnapping of the children was the major topic of conversation for weeks thereafter. Strangers were checked out very carefully until their motives for being in town were proved to be ordinary and innocuous. It was strange to see how protective everyone was of the resident terrors. You'd almost think they belonged to every villager at once, which in a way they did. They had somehow become mascots for the town. Every prank was discussed in detail at every opportunity. Elderly women who had dealt with similar escapades in the past were quick to give advice. Younger women thanked the gods that their children weren't like them.

Ares came to call, and was discussing the problems he had been having with his granddaughter Laurel. "She needs someone to play with, I wonder if you'd allow me to take the two little ones for a weekend visit with her?" he asked finally. The three women looked at each other for a moment, then three heads began to shake while laughter bubbled up and out. "Have you any idea what you're letting yourself in for?" Xena asked at last. "I'm the God of War, I'm used to handling several wars at once, how much trouble can two children be?" "With the addition of Laurel, you're talking about three children. Each child you add, multiplies the problems you're letting yourself in for." Cyrene returned. "You don't have eyes in the back of your head, and there's no way you by yourself can watch three of them." Gabrielle added. The discussion went on for quite a while, and finally the women agreed. "But if you run into trouble, call for help." Xena added as he was leaving with the children. They were really excited at the prospect of staying with their friend Ares for a couple of days. 

The first hour or so was all right, the children getting to know each other. Ares had been forced to restrict Laurel's power so that she couldn't throw fireballs at the mortal children, and had also told her repeatedly that she was to take it easy on them because of their mortal status. He informed her that these were the children of a friend of his, and he didn't want them hurt. She nodded her head in understanding, then promptly forgot his admonishments. She was only four, so it is no surprise, like others her age she had a short attention span. They had played rough and tumble games for a while, then demanded a story. Ares had told them a long drawn out story that had promptly put Jeb to sleep. He was sitting on Ares lap at the time, and after a while Ares felt a warm wet feeling on his leg. Jeb was only potty trained during the day, he still occasionally wet the bed if he was very tired. He was exhausted at the moment and had done what came naturally. The odor was easily identifiable and Ares gave a snort of disgust. 

Ares snapped his fingers and both of them were dry again. He noticed that the odor lingered, so he snapped his fingers again....and again...finally the odor was gone. He carried Jeb into a room next to his. There were three small beds in the room. One bed for each child, with a washstand, a dresser and wardrobe to complete the furnishings. The furniture was all white. The colors here were pastels. He knew that Laurel hated the black in his room. She said it was too gloomy. Daphne had decorated the room with floral bedspreads on two of the beds and a plaid on the last one. They were in pastels of all the primary colors. The walls were a pale green, and the curtains were in the floral material of the bedspreads. Jeb was asleep, so he didn't care, but the girls loved it. Ares himself found it much too bright and cheerful. 

The girls were getting along fairly well but Jeb, being so much younger, was feeling a little left out. He suddenly burst into tears and grabbed Ares by the leg. As the tears continued, his nose began to run, he simply wiped it off on the leather pants. Ares groaned, this was not going like he had expected. He gathered Jeb up into his arms, snapped his fingers to dry his pants, then took Jeb into the throne room for a while. He began telling him stories about where some of the weapons had come from, and who they had belonged to. About this time there were bloodcurdling shrieks from the other room. He jumped to his feet with Jeb on his hip and ran to discover the cause of the noise. The girls were shrieking in laughter. They had started tickling each other. For a moment there, his heart had skipped a beat, fear had struck a serious blow. He ordinarily had no fear for himself, but if anything had happened to any of these children, He would have been in deep doodoo. The families of all three children would have been out for his hide. 

Things got reasonably quiet until after lunch. The children had then gone out into the gardens to play. Ares was using his mirror to check on a couple of wars in progress when a priest ran in with a frantic "My Lord Ares. The girls have climbed up into one of the fruit trees. They're too high for us to reach. Now Eve is afraid to climb back down. She is crying out for her mother. What should we do?" Ares gave a last disgusted look at the mirror then disappeared into the garden. As he appeared he could see the crowd gathered at the foot of a large fruit tree. How in Tartarus had they gotten to the first branches. As he got closer, he saw the upturned basket at the base of the tree, and saw the answer to his question. He strode firmly into the group. As various priests and priestesses noticed him, they fell back and allowed him free access to the base of the tree. From this position he could see two small girls up twelve or thirteen feet into the upper branches of the tree. The branches that high were much too small for an adult to use to reach the children. He climbed as high as he could, and called to Laurel to come to him. She hesitated for a moment, then began to feel her way back down. He told her where to put her feet, and she soon was within reach. He grasped her firmly and transported them both to the ground. 

He then returned to the tree and called to Eve. She just clung on tighter and whimpered. He moved just a little higher, and encouraged her to be a big girl like Laurel. She peeked over her arm at him. "That's right, you're a big enough girl to do the same thing Laurel did. Come on, I'll tell you where the branches are, and you can just climb down to me. I'll carry you to the ground just like I did for her. The branches she was holding to were swaying in the wind from her weight, slight as it was, which did nothing for her peace of mind. He told her where the next lower branch was, and she slowly shifted her weight to feel for it. She found it easily, lowered her body by that much, and began to feel less fearful. He directed her to the next branch, then the next. Soon she was within reach. He grabbed her firmly, told her to let go, then transferred them both to the garden path. Jeb was waiting anxiously when they arrived. He ran over, hugged Eve, then hugged Ares. 

It seemed to Ares that nothing more could go wrong. He was mistaken. It was only a short while later that the girls got into a fight. Jeb trying to stop them wound up on the floor, crying. Ares parted the participants, sat them both down in chairs, and told them to stay there for a while. He then lifted Jeb into his arms and comforted him. He was going to be very glad when this weekend was over. His nerves were becoming more and more frazzled. Supper time finally arrived, and they all sat at the large dining room table. It was only moments before the girls started a food fight which Jeb was more than happy to join. Food flew in all directions. They were using spoons as missile launchers. They suddenly stopped, looked at each other and grinned. The next assault was on Ares. All three of them mixed mashed potatoes with peas and let fly. He spluttered at the first incoming volley, then jumped to his feet and bellowed as the second volley arrived. "That's enough! Stop this behavior at once. We don't play with our food at this table." Three small heads ducked, three small lower lips stuck out, and three children began to cry. He was flabbergasted. 

After supper Ares told them some stories. He took them all back to his quarters and sat them down on the twin divans. He provided glasses of milk, cookies, and some little cakes. The children were on their best behavior. It had taken him quite a while to get them to stop crying earlier and he had wound up feeling like a bully while they continued. It took a while before he noticed them grinning behind his back. He happened to look in the mirror just as Laurel and Eve exchanged grins. As he began to turn, they started whimpering again, but he wasn't fooled any longer. He informed them that he had seen the grins, and he wasn't going to play their games any longer. They had looked at each other and shrugged. It had been worth a try. 

They had gone to bed quietly and gone right to sleep. It had been a very busy and exhausting day. The next day had gone much better all morning, but by the afternoon, they were back to their old tricks. They scrapped about everything. Even Jeb got involved. He took one of Laurel's favorite toys and hid it. She looked everywhere but couldn't find it. Then she got angry and slapped him. He started screaming until Ares arrived to see what the problem was. Ares soon found the toy and gave it back to Jeb. This set Laurel into a temper tantrum, "It's my toy and I want it back." she insisted. Ares informed her that slapping Jeb had been a mistake, and that she was being punished for it. Jeb gave a little grin and began playing with the toy. He tossed it in the air several times, then *accidentally* dropped it on the floor. It broke. Laurel began screaming again, and Ares returned to find out what happened. When he saw the broken toy he looked hard at Jeb who said "It was a accident," Ares picked up the toy, which reassembled in his hands, and put it away. 

The day went downhill after that. Nothing seemed to go right. Ares was about to tear his hair out when Evander and Daphne arrived suddenly. Was he ever glad to see them. Laurel came running to see her parents, while the other two stood to one side. She told them that she had been having a great time with Eve and Jeb. Her mother looked questioningly at Ares, who grinned and shrugged. The other two were called over to be introduced. Laurel was on her best behavior and called each child by name as she presented them to her parents. Eve greeted them cordially, but Jeb was suddenly shy. He stood there looking at the floor. Daphne squatted before him, until he was forced to look up. She then greeted him formally. He suddenly grinned and hugged her. This came as a complete surprise to everyone. After the introductions were over, Ares prepared to return the two visitors. 

When he arrived with the two children he found the three women nearly in hysterics. They had been discussing all the possible problems he might have had. He assured them that he had no problems over the weekend, but they didn't believe him. They knew the children much too well for that and had heard too many stories from Ares himself about the behavior of Laurel , his granddaughter, to even begin to believe him. They began to question the children and soon had a much better idea of what had actually happened. 

Later that evening, as Xena was spending time with Ares, she asked him to tell her the truth. He tried to dismiss the whole subject at first, but had finally given in and told her some of the events of the weekend. "I thought so. I really couldn't see them behaving for anyone, not even the God of War. I'm glad you got through it without any major problems. She then kissed him on the end of the nose. He raised one eyebrow in query. She grinned at him and kissed him on the eyebrow. He bent and kissed her throat. Working his way down, he soon had her at a fever pitch. She was returning kiss for kiss until they got down to some serious loving. Much later she was laying in his arms and started laughing again. She informed him that what had happened with the children was nowhere near as bad as she, Cyrene, and Gabrielle had imagined. Then she began to fill him in on the scenarios they had thought of. He groaned, then began to laugh. She was right, it could have been SO much worse.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for notes.

It had been a month since the last time Eve and Jeb had come to visit. After the fiasco of their last visit, Ares was reluctant to ask for the terrible two to come and visit again. Unfortunately his granddaughter had him wrapped around her little finger. Laurel had asked for her two little friends to come back again this weekend. He had informed her that he had a war to supervise, and she had replied "Your war will just have to wait. I want my friends NOW!" She was becoming a major pain in the posterior. 

When he had hesitantly asked for their presence, Xena had only agreed if she came to supervise. That took a load off his mind, and he had readily agreed. If the children would only behave this time, he and Xena might spend some quality time together. If you believe that one, you aren't familiar with these three children, and I have a rotten rope bridge across a crevasse to sell you.. 

For the first few hours things had gone well. Then the newness of the situation wore off, and all hell broke loose. They fought over toys, they spilled food, they broke things, until Xena started yelling. That brought them up short for a few minutes. Unfortunately, it didn't last for very long. The various priests and priestesses spent most of their time looking over their shoulders. The children had taken to pulling pranks on them. Thankfully Ares had again taken Laurel's powers away. If she had had those available, everyone would have been in serious trouble. 

Mortal child tricks were bad enough. They had found a mouse in the gardens, and had brought it in and released it in the kitchens. The head cook had seen it and fainted, landing in a large dish of fresh dough. She and the dough wound up on the floor. One of the under cooks took a broom and tried to shoo the mouse out the door. It dodged, and cut back under the table. Then it ran up the pants leg of one of the helpers. He started dancing around and cussing, while trying to shake it loose. In the meantime the children were gathered in a corner laughing. Ares and Xena heard the screams and curses and ran for the source. When they arrived, the children scattered. Laurel ran into the main temple, and Eve and Jeb ran for the garden door. Xena had no trouble capturing the mouse, and released it outside again. She took it quite a ways from the temple, into a wooded area, and loosed it in the bushes. 

By the time she returned from her errand, Ares had gathered the perpetrators, and made them all sit in chairs widely separated from each other. Each was in a corner of the main altar room. There would be no whispering, no giggling, and no contact whatsoever for a while. Xena just stood there for a while. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The scene in the kitchen had been hilarious, but she was aware that those involved didn't think so. The head cook had been in hysterics when she awoke from her faint, and had required a great deal of assurance that the mouse was truly gone before she returned to work. The dough was ruined and would need to be redone. While they had all been chasing the mouse, the meat had gotten scorched on one side. It was still edible, but just barely. Dinner was going to be late. 

The children remained in the corner for a long time. They wouldn't be eating dinner with the others. They were given a dish of porridge for supper along with a glass of milk. They seriously thought of complaining, but reconsidered when they took one look at Xena's face. They ate their supper in silence. There was no joking, or giggling. Soon afterwards they were sent to bed. Since this was much earlier than usual, the adults decided to take advantage of the situation. 

Ares looked over at Xena during dinner, amazed that she had remained so calm during the ruckus, and then realized that this was probably just everyday stuff to her. He really admired her. She was not only beautiful, smart, and energetic. She also had a lot more patience than he had. He reached over and took her hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Then he turned it over and kissed her palm. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. They ate a little more, but each had other ideas on ways to spend a long evening alone together. 

When dinner was over, Ares took Xena's hand and placed it through his arm. He then strolled with her back to his quarters. They sat before the fire on a divan. He slipped his arms around her, and pulled her head over on his shoulder. She wrapped her arms about him as well. She snuggled her face into his neck, kissing her way up to his ear. She then began nibbling his lobe. Blowing softly in his ear, she then planted a kiss on it. By this time his hands had begun wandering over her body. He stroked her waist, sliding his hands up to her bosom. Using his thumbs on the sensitive areas, he continued stroking, then he took her mouth with his. Kisses deepened and soon developed into more intimate things. 

Their intimacy was soon interrupted. Screams came from the children's room. They dropped everything, Ares snapped clothes onto both of them, and they took off running from his room to the one across the hall. As they entered, they found the children playing on the floor. It was too much. Ares bellowed "What in Tartarus do you think you're doing? Were you or were you not sent to bed? Did anyone give you permission to get up and play?" Three sets of eyes looked at the floor. Three little heads shook dismally from side to side, then all three of them started to cry. The sobs soon turned to wails. 

Xena just stood there, with her hands on her hips, watching how Ares handled this state of affairs. He was becoming flustered, so she took over. "What's that supposed to be, crocodile tears? I don't believe for a moment that you didn't know better. Nor do I believe that those tears are real. I think you're trying to put one over on us, and it's not going to work." She took both Eve and Jeb by the arm, and escorted them to their beds. Ares took the hint and put Laurel in her own bed. Xena then stood there with her hands on her hips, saying "There will be no more of this nonsense. Do you understand?" Three heads nodded emphatically. "Now go to sleep." She waited for a moment, but there were no arguments. She escorted Ares to the door and semi-closed it behind them. 

Ares gave a great sigh of relief. He sure was glad that Xena had come along this time. Those children were really a handful. She seemed to know just what they were up to and whether or not to take things seriously. Mother instinct or something like that. He had been sure that they were really crying, and hadn't any idea of how to deal with it. How do you comfort three crying children at once? Fortunately she had known the difference. Those little wretches. Putting one over on him like that. He was seriously put out with them, especially since they had interrupted a really intimate moment. He didn't know if he was going to be able to get back into the mood. Aaaaarrrgh!!!! Fortunately Xena was still in the mood, which quickly put him back in the mood. He made mad passionate love to her. They then fell asleep in each other's arms. 

Morning came altogether too soon. The children were awake with the birds. They ate their breakfast in peace and harmony. They then went out into the gardens to play. Things went well for several candlemarks, but then things started to heat up again. The two girls were in a knock down drag out fight. They were pulling hair, kicking, and screaming at the tops of their lungs. Xena was the first at the scene. She grabbed both girls by the arms, and dragged them apart. Each blamed the other for the fight. Xena asked Jeb what happened, but he told her he was playing nearby with a toad when the fight started. He didn't know who started it. He held up the toad in question to show that he was telling the truth. One of the older priests had overheard the whole fight and informed her that Eve had started it by pulling Laurel's hair. Eve was taken inside and placed in the same chair she had occupied the day before. 

Laurel started playing with Jeb, and things remained peaceful for quite a long time. They were just beginning to scrap a little when they were called to come in for lunch. All three children were on their best behavior during lunch, and afterwards they were allowed to go outside to play. No problems occurred for a long time afterwards. While no adults were watching all three children were eating some green apples. Before too long they all had tummy aches. Jeb was the first to come in crying. "It hurts... Mama!" He was holding his tummy with both hands. Xena lifted him onto her lap. She examined him, but could find no wounds. "What hurts Jeb?" she asked. "My tummy....it hurts real bad." By this time Eve was also coming inside holding her tummy. She was soon followed by Laurel. Xena was becoming worried. Could they have eaten something poisonous? She asked the girls what they had eaten. At first they denied eating anything, but as the pain grew worse they reconsidered. As soon as she knew about the green apples the worst of the worry was over. They would have to suffer for a while, but they'd get over it. 

Within a few hours they were feeling better. Good enough to eat their supper at least. They didn't eat as much as usual but did eat enough to tide them over until tomorrow. They went to bed early again. This time with no shenanigans. Ares and Xena enjoyed one evening of peace and quiet. They took advantage of it by retiring to their own bed. There were no interruptions this time. Each took pains to make up to the other for the prior night's frustration. Xena took the lead, grabbing him by the ears and kissing him passionately. He got both arms around her, almost crushed her body to his, then kissed her in return. Time seemed to stand still for a time. Then came rushing back as they teased and pleased each other. Wild music seemed to match the beating of their hearts. The tempo kept increasing with their passionate explorations. The grand finale was enough to take their breath away. 

The last day went incredibly well. The children played peacefully and the adults spent their day in quiet conversation. They had placed some chairs and a small table under a spreading tree in the garden. Then they had spread a large blanket on the ground for the children. There were a lot of toys and a picnic lunch to look forward to. There was also a large pitcher of cold lemon drink on the table. This was enjoyed by all. One of the priests had created three puppets made from wood and string. they weren't fancy by any means, but another priest had painted clothes and faces on them. The children were making the puppets dance and walk around on the blanket. This had entertained them for longer than anything else ever had. Even for the children, lunch was enjoyed in peace. Both Xena and Ares were thankful for the toys. 

They had gone back inside for dinner. The children were eating quietly, and enjoying their food when Evander and his wife Daphne entered the room. The children greeted them with smiles and waves, then went on with their dinner. Ares breathed a sigh of relief. All in all it hadn't been TOO bad. He hoped they were done with their time off though. He did understand that they needed a break from Laurel occasionally. They needed time to themselves. He just wished they could find someone else to take her once in a while. He loved her dearly, but, she had a tendency for mischief. When you added the other two you really had your hands full. He was going to be glad to take them home and have the temple to himself. Ah, peace at last. 

Cyrene and Gabrielle had enjoyed their weekend also. They had gotten a lot of work done. They had cleaned everything in sight, rearranged furniture, restocked the bar and Inn, and had even taken the time to just sit. Things had been almost too peaceful. The citizens had noticed at once that the children weren't there, and had been glad to know that they were only visiting for the weekend. They would be back to their old selves soon. And they were. Ares delivered them late that afternoon. They hadn't been home for more than two candlemarks before they were in trouble again. Xena just sighed and sat them in the corners where they sulked for a while. Things had to improve sooner or later didn't they? She certainly hoped so.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for notes.

It was all out war. The troops had gathered on opposite sides of a vast plain in the early hours of the prior day. They had set up camps, started cook fires, and prepared a meal before they settled down to watch. Each man was required to take care of his own equipment, and they were making sure that everything was in good working order before they went into battle. Swords were being sharpened, arrows refurbished, bowstrings checked and prepared for the next day's battle. Meals were taken at lunch time and again in the evening. Sentries were placed, and men retired to their tents. 

The sound of trumpets shattered the early morning quiet. *TIME TO GET UP* they shrilled. Men tumbled from their tents, groggy with sleep, and formed up for breakfast. Last minute duties were assigned, and performed. Camp was straightened out and men began to move forward and into position to the sound of trumpets. *FORM UP* now the movements became more hurried and purposeful. As the lines formed up and made long, slightly irregular rows at the front, men began to prepare themselves, stretching and getting their muscles moving freely. Finally the great moment arrived. *CHARGE* The lines began to move forward more and more quickly. 

Near the center of the plain, the two great companies of men entangled themselves into a huge mass of constant motion. Attack, parry, lunge, dodge an attack, protect your partner. Motion, sometimes slow, sometimes harried, but constant throughout the battle. The Calvary had been held back on both sides. They were in reserve, waiting for a good opportunity to move in and push in any case where the ordinary soldier could clear a path towards the enemy leaders. Each leader was seated on a horse, with aides on either side. There was a junior officer in charge of the pennant just to the rear of the leader. The pennant was to be defended at all costs. Loss of the pennant equaled loss of the battle. 

Ares was in his element. One of the two companies was his. He was very pleased so far with the way things were going. The commander in charge was just a young man, some would say too young, but he was following orders well. He had positioned archers behind a small hillock near the battle area, and was sending in arrows now and then. Not enough to get the enemy's attention, but enough to make a difference here and there. The enemy commander suddenly called in his Calvary. As they came thundering down on the untidy mass in the middle of the plain, the ground shook under their feet. The vibration in the earth was enough to warn Ares' troops of the danger. They promptly moved into defense mode, each man watching the other man's back. One man faced forward and attacked the enemy on the ground, while the other defended from mounted enemies. As the Calvary moved close to the action, the archers moved out and into position. Arrows flew, men fell, riderless horses entangled the riders and chaos ensued. The archers continued with their deadly work. More men fell. The Calvary was quickly halved. Now men on the ground were at work with special weapons. They were a long lance with a hook on them. It could be used to snag a rider and drag him off his horse. Once on the ground on his back, he was easily dispatched before he could regain his feet. 

As the enemy commander realized that he was fast losing his Calvary, he had them recalled. It was too late. By this time most of them were down. The few that remained weren't much help. He recalled them to his side. Now Ares' men began to make their move. He had hidden reinforcements down both sides of the plain, in brushy areas that didn't appear large enough to hide that many men. They had dug trenches behind the bushes, and hidden hundreds of men there. Now they were called up to the battle. As they moved in from the side, the enemy commander suddenly realized that he had fallen for a trap. He tried desperately to get his men out of there. *RETREAT* the trumpets shrilled. 

As they began to back up, Ares ordered his own Calvary into motion. They had been moving up inside the tree line and now were behind the opposition. *CAVALRY CHARGE* They moved rapidly out of the trees, and surrounded the rear of the enemy forces, forcing them to halt their retreat. Finding himself truly trapped, the enemy commander ordered them to fall back into the fighting square. He and his aides and Calvary were in the center, and from there out, were line after line of men forming squares within squares. The ones in the back rows and center were to replace any wounded or killed in the outer line. 

An arrow suddenly transfixed the aide holding the banner, and it fell into the dust. Another aide leaped from his horse to pick it up. He too fell where he stood, an arrow through his throat. One side of the square was folding in upon itself, and men were falling faster than they could be replaced. One of Ares' horsemen rode through the gap, leaned from the saddle, and captured the enemy pennant. He turned, and leaping his horse over two men who tried to block his way, returned to his own side. Shaking the pennant in glee, he rode back and forth in front of the enemy forces, so that they would lose heart. At last, the enemy commander raised a white flag. 

There was a clamor of trumpets, and the battle was over. Slowly men lowered their weapons and looked around. Only a quarter of the enemy forces were still on their feet. A good number had already been captured. Many were seriously wounded, and were in doubt of living out the day. A great number more were wounded in some manner or another, and only a few had no wounds at all. All would be glad to escape with their lives. The enemy commander moved slowly forward, and bowed in defeat. He surrendered up his weapons, and his men soon moved forward to surrender theirs as well. He had been a worthy opponent, so Ares allowed him to retire from the field with all his men. He had first given his pledge that he would no longer attempt to conquer the forces of Ares. He had learned his lesson well.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for notes.

The battle had been extremely satisfying, but Ares wasn't looking forward to tonight. He had guests coming, young guests, three of them..... again! His son Evander with his wife Daphne were going to a grand ball at the Palace in Corinth. They were the guests of the king, and would be spending the weekend there. It was the king's birthday. All the well to do were going to be celebrating the great day. There would be all sorts of garden parties, masquerades, tea parties, horse races, and any other type of party you could imagine leading up to the event . Someone would have to take care of their young daughter, Laurel. Guess who Laurel wanted to stay with? Guess who she wanted to play with while she was there? 

You guessed it. The terrible two were coming back. As if the last two times hadn't been bad enough. At least Xena was coming with them again. That would help, he was sure, but he wasn't certain that it would be enough. He would have to go and pick them up, as it was quite a ways to his temple. He had put it off long enough. It was time to face the music. The babble of sound when he arrived was almost enough to make him turn tail and run for it. He was no coward, well not in the ordinary sense, but he liked his peace and quiet also. The temple was usually a relatively peaceful place. Sword drills, hand to hand training, wrestling, weight training, and other such things were more his speed. Two screaming toddlers were two too many. Three would be unbearable. 

Xena had seen him arrive, calmed the temper tantrums, given them each a cookie and a glass of milk to take their minds off the subject, and come to greet him. That long drawn out kiss had done much to reestablish his equilibrium. The children finished their milk and cookies then came to greet him as well. He hugged them both, then took time to greet Cyrene and Gabrielle. They returned his greeting, then began making plans for what they would do while the children were gone. 

He had gathered Xena and the children into his arms and transported them back to the temple. As they were arriving at one end of the room, Evander and family were arriving at the other. All three children began shouting to each other, and it took a while to calm them down. Daphne thanked them both for taking care of Laurel. They both replied that it was their pleasure, even though they were afraid that it would be nothing like pleasurable. It was only a short time later that Evander and Daphne left Ares and Xena with the children. 

The children had been sent to the play room. Ares had created it after the last visit. There were swings, a climbing gym, a sandbox, several balls of different sizes, and three toy boxes each with different toys in them. The children had been shown to the room by a younger priestess, who was to keep an eye on them. She had been given a necklace that would call the God immediately in case of problems. All she had to do was take the disc in her hand and call, he would hear, no matter where he was, and come instantly to her aid. 

In the meantime, Ares was seated on one of the twin divans in front of his fireplace. The low silver table between divans was littered with fruit, nuts, small sandwiches, wine, and other tidbits. His arm was about Xena's waist, He was kissing her passionately, and his other hand was slowly roving about her body. Her arms were about his neck, and she was pressing herself against him. Things were beginning to heat up quickly, when there was a sudden call from the necklace. Ares groaned softly, and with an exasperated look, transported himself to the play room. 

It turned out to be a false alarm. One of the children had managed to get the necklace and had used it. They were in a huddle, giggling wildly, as the priestess tried in vain to recover the necklace. Ares removed it from their possession, gave it back to the priestess, and told the children that it was no joke. Further stunts of that kind would result in an early bedtime. That was something none of them wanted, so peace reigned for a while. 

Ares transported himself back to Xena, explained what had happened, and what he had threatened it it happened again, and they both got a chuckle out of the event. He reached for her again, and they resumed where they had left off. They had moved to the bed, removed their clothing, and gotten much more involved when they received another call. This one they didn't consider anywhere near as funny as the last. He replaced their clothes, grabbed Xena's hand, and transported both of them this time. A major fight had broken out over a toy. The two girls were screaming and pulling hair while each retained a grip on the toy with the other hand. Xena moved to grab Eve and Ares took hold of Laurel. They removed the disputed toy from both little hands, and Ares caused it to disappear. a moment later six identical toys appeared. Since it was no longer an only toy, both girls ignored it. Jeb grinned, picked one of them up, and went off into a corner to play with the toy in question. He hadn't a chance of taking it from either of the girls, but had wound up with it anyway. 

Now that peace reigned again, Ares took them back to the bedroom. He raised one eyebrow and grinned. "Shall we try again?" he asked dryly. She laughed right out loud. She then proceeded to do a strip tease. He watched for only a moment, growled, and again removed their clothing. They managed to actually continue their previous actions to the grand finale. Laying beside him, with her head on his chest, she listened to the sound of his heart. Regardless of his prior exertions, his heart was still at a steady beat, not in the least hurried. She wished the same could be said for her's. She was breathless, her heart was still beating tumultuously, and she felt an indescribable tingle about herself. It was a glorious feeling.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for notes.

It was now time for the children to go to bed. They reluctantly dressed themselves and went to check on the children. All was surprisingly fine. The girls were quietly playing, and Jeb was curled up in the corner with the toy, fast asleep. They got them all into their sleep clothes, and tucked them into bed. The priestess was relieved by another, who promptly sat down in a large old rocking chair to keep watch during the night. The necklet was also turned over to the new shift. Xena told them a story, although Jeb was asleep again before she finished it, and they were all bidden good night. 

Xena took time to eat some of the food on the little silver table. she snacked on a little fruit, drank some more of the fine wine, and snuggled up against him again. She slipped both arms about him, nuzzled her face against his chest, and began to nibble. He grinned. "Ready for desert already?" he asked her. She grinned back, took another nibble, and then a light bite. He groaned, grasped her firmly in his arms, and devoured her lips. The kiss deepened, the grasp became almost crushing, then he lifted her in his arms and carried her swiftly over to the bed. One wave of the hand divested them of their clothing, and opened the sheets. He suddenly tossed her lightly onto the bed, and leaped after her. Landing on all fours, he had her trapped beneath himself. He slowly lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her deeply. Her arms reached up, clasped him about the middle, and drew him down against her silken body. He made some quick adjustments in position, then brought her to the point of screaming. 

Xena withheld it, but just barely. She did NOT want to waken the children. Ares grinned at her, then began to again explore her body. He pretended to be looking for something small, and was checking in every nook and cranny. He examined her ears, behind the ears, looked carefully in her eyes, and nostrils. Then he examined her mouth, probing with his fingers. She was getting just a little exasperated with him. Then he began checking with his tongue. He continued down her body. As he reached her belly button, the action of the tongue increased dramatically. She began to squirm again. 

It was a long night. Neither one of them got a lot of sleep, but then they usually didn't.. Five or six hours was enough for Xena, and Ares actually didn't have a need for sleep. He indulged himself when Xena was there, resting between bouts of other activities. He enjoyed the feeling of awaking with her in his arms. He wished that it could be like this forever. He saw her on a regular basis, but was never satisfied with the few stolen hours that he got. He never slept deeply, but only dozed, ready at a moment's notice to be off to some war or other. 

It was a war all right, but not a major one, that woke him the next morning.. The children were having a pillow fight. The priestess was an older one, who had never been around such active children before. Ares made a mental note to take her off this duty in future. She was panic stricken. She was trying with no effect to get the children to stop. As she grabbed one pillow, she was struck by the other two. The children's focus had changed from each other to her. They jumped on the beds, leaped lightly from one to the other, and continued their attack. The priestess was obviously overmatched. She was in tears. 

"ENOUGH!" Ares bellowed. There was an instant cessation of motion. The priestess was motioned to a seat in the rocking chair. The three children were motioned to line up in front of Ares. He stood there with a frown on his face. The children lined up hesitantly, then stood there silently. Three little lips began to pout, three little faces screwed up into sorrowful expressions, and tears began to flow. For just a moment there Ares almost fell for it. Then he looked at Xena, and she was grinning. This was just another performance by these problematical children. They were getting really good at these impromptu actions. 

The children were ordered to apologize to the priestess. each took their turn in doing so. She was then told to go get some sleep, then resume her ordinary duties. A younger priestess named Lani came walking quickly in the door. She had heard the voice of the God calling her to duty. She was the third child out of seven, was still young enough to remember her own days as a child, and the four younger siblings with which she had played. The children loved her, and she loved them as well. They usually behaved rather well for her, because she could come up with all kinds of things for them to do. She was also good at telling stories, which all the children loved.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for notes.

Lani supervised their breakfast, then took them out into the gardens to play. Ares and Xena took their time with breakfast, lounging around in their night clothes. Breakfast had been served in their chambers, on the small silver table between the divans, and had been luxurious. Xena enjoyed it immensely. At home she had to help fix the meals for herself, her family, and the people who stayed or ate at the Inn. It was a lot of work, and she was revelling in the fact that others did all the preparation and serving here. All she had to do was enjoy. Enjoy she did, and relished every bite of it. She then took the time to enjoy a bath in the huge tub adjoining the bedroom. Ares joined her, and the time passed rather quickly after that. By the time she was thinking clearly again, she got dressed and went outside to see how things were going. 

The children were in their element. Lani had brought out a number of toys, and the girls were chasing a ball. Jeb was sitting on the grass playing with a toy horse made out of wood. Ares and Xena went for a stroll through the rose garden. At the far end, was a gate. He escorted her through it and she was amazed to see the size of the medicinal herb garden that was inside. She noticed that the gate was locked, and was glad to see it. It would never do for the children to get in here. She recognized several plants that could be fatal if ingested. They looked just like any other berry bushes. Only one who was trained in the use of such plants would realize that they weren't edible. 

Lunch was served picnic style. They had large baskets of food, several blankets, several urns of a fruit drink, with plates and cups. Since this was an unusual method of eating for the children it always went over well. Most of their meals were always eaten at a dining room or kitchen table, in the house. They'd stop for a bite or a sip of something, then run along to play some more. They were under orders to stay within sight of the main group. Mostly they did so. Occasionally they would run out of sight to chase a ball or something, but were never gone long. 

Several moments had passed, and Laurel had not reappeared. Xena went looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. A search was instituted, still no Laurel. Xena suddenly had a bad feeling, and headed over past the shrubs to the gate to the other garden. As she arrived, she noticed that the gate was no longer locked. She rushed through, and began to search. It was a very large garden, with shrubs here and there in bunches. There were a number of beds of plants interspersed among the bushes. She headed for the berry bushes she had noticed earlier. There, slumped over on the ground, was Laurel. she was unconscious. "ARES!!" she screamed. He appeared at her side, took one look at Laurel, and gathered her into his arms. Poof, he was gone. She ran back toward the temple, making sure that the gate was locked behind her. 

Xena met Ares at the healer's hall. The healer was examining Laurel, and Xena told him where she had found the child, and the name of the plant she had been beside. "Ooh." he said. "In that case, she'll probably be all right. I have the antidote to that shrub right here." He reached up on the shelf, took down a small bottle, and dripped several drops in Laurel's mouth. Her tongue licked at the drops, and she swallowed. "Tastes sweet, doesn't it my dear?" he asked with a smile. She opened her eyes and nodded. "Good!" she replied. Then she began to retch, and continued until she had gotten rid of the berries she had eaten, along with all her lunch. 

The healer then gave her something else, that would settle her stomach, and turned her over to her grandfather. He took her into the lunch room, and made her eat again. Nothing too bulky, and nothing too solid, but she ate some custard, with a small sandwich roll. She then followed that with a glass of milk. By this time she was feeling much better. At least until she took a good look at Ares' face. He had a thunderous expression on his face, and as soon as he was sure she was going to be all right he exploded wrathfully. "What did you think you were doing? You know you're forbidden to go through locked doors, and I have previously ordered you not to go inside that particular garden. I told you that there were many dangerous plants in there, and that you were forbidden to go in there without supervision. Now......just what did you think you were doing?" 

Laurel explained that the ball had gone over the fence, that she had just been going after the ball, but had noticed the berries and had tried a few. She tried to avoid telling how she had gotten inside the fence, but eventually she had admitted that she had used magic to open the lock on the gate. Ares then made the determination that the lock would have to be strengthened. He would have to find out exactly how strong Laurel's magical skills were, and make the locks several times stronger. This was going to make things difficult for some of the workers in those gardens, but he wasn't taking any chances on this happening again. Better to be safe, than to take any more risks. 

The other children had continued on with their games. Lani had managed to distract them from the excitement with a puppet show. By the time it was all over, they were eating again, and happy to see Ares and Xena come back with Laurel. Then they went on to tell her what she had missed. Lani had to promise to do the show again later in the afternoon before Laurel would be satisfied to settle down again. The rest of the afternoon went peacefully. Lani finally did the puppet show again just before they were to return to the temple for supper. The children were all agog over the puppet show, even though two of them had seen it before. They still had to discuss the whole thing with Laurel, because she had only seen it once.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for notes.

That night and the next day had gone fairly well, until later that afternoon. Then all hell broke loose. The children were playing at the far end of the gardens, near the edge of the temple woods, when suddenly arrows began to fly. They were striking very near the children. The priestess in charge at the time, used the necklace to call Ares. He appeared, created an umbrella of protection over the children and the attending priestess, then disappeared again. A moment later he appeared next to a group of men in the woods. At his appearance, they all took off running in different directions. Most of them dropped their weapons in their haste to escape. They had been hunting in the forbidden temple forest. All had taken a shot at a large turkey that had flown up into the treetops. Their arrows had missed the turkey, passed over the trees in between, and come down near the children. They hadn't realized how near they were to the temple, and had no intention of shooting at the children. It had been an accident, true, but they had no business hunting where they were. 

Ares had captured every one of them, then taken them to the temple to see what they had almost done. At the sight of the three small children and a priestess standing in the midst of half a dozen arrows, the men began to pale. Upon hearing that one of the children was the granddaughter of the God, several of the men began to quake in fright. Ares then took the men to the regional justice and ordered that they be imprisoned for trespass and hunting in the temple woods. Most of the men had been fathers, and felt terrible about what had almost happened. They got off lucky. He could have just killed them on the spot, and they were well aware of that fact. All swore to themselves that they would never make that mistake again. They had each received a month of imprisonment, and considered themselves lucky. 

Xena had gathered the frightened children into herarms, and held them. All three of them huddled there for a few minutes. Then childhood took over and they went off to play again. As Ares reappeared in her presence, she reached out to hold him tightly in her arms. Then she started to cry softly. He held her for a moment, then tipped her head up to look into her face. Her tear streaked face was almost too much for him. An incredible feeling of protectiveness swept over him. He kissed her gently for a moment, then held her against him again. They stood that way for several moments longer, then she gently pulled back. He wrapped one arm about her waist and escorted her back into the temple. 

Since the children were now totally involved with their games, Ares and Xena decided to spend a last little while together before the weekend ended. They had an uninterrupted two hours, during which they had reexamined their feelings for each other, and come to the conclusion that they wanted more. Xena was going to move in, at least for a while, and see how things worked out. The next step was to announce the decision to her family. They would continue to visit the Inn several days a week, but would be staying here. 

The evening came soon enough, and the party goers arrived back in good spirits. Laurel was collected, although regretfully on her part, and they left for their own home. Eve and Jeb were hesitantly gathering their own few playthings, to get ready to go home, when they were pleasantly informed that they would be staying for a while longer. They whooped and hollered, running all through the temple, until they finally ran out of steam. Then they settled down for a story time. Ares, himself, told the story and kept them in stitches throughout the time. It was a very funny story of mixed up messages, mixed up replies, and a wholly fouled up escapade. The children loved it. 

They went to sleep without any more problems. The priestess in charge over night was a jovial sort that got along well with the children. She fussed over them, tucked them in, kissed them good night, and then turned down the lamp. Then she went over, sat herself down in the rocking chair, and began to knit. She was making sweaters for all three children, and each child had chosen their own yarn in their own color. Eve had chosen lavender, Laurel had chosen a mint green, and Jeb had chosen red, dark red. Both girls had chosen pastels, but Jeb had chosen a vivid dark cherry red. He would certainly stand out in a crowd. 

Ares and Xena had then gone back to the Inn to announce her decision to her family. At first Gabrielle was just a little bit furious, but she soon calmed down. Trying to take care of those two as well as do all the other things necessary to run an Inn had been exhausting. If the children would be happy there at the temple with all those priests and priestesses to take care of them, but would be coming to visit often, it might be the best thing for all. Cyrene had been expecting this for a while now. She had been watching Xena closely, and had been aware of the fact that she wasn't very happy while she was trying to do so many things at once. She hadn't complained, but she had obviously been ready for a change. Cyrene was glad for her. She would miss the children, but it would be much easier without them under foot all the time. Visits would be wonderful. She would be able to appreciate them more when they did come. 

Back at the temple, they had withdrawn to the private quarters. There they had a light repast on the divan, began some intimate byplay, and eventually moved to the bed. There were no distractions from their diversions, and things went from naughty to downright involved. Coming up for air, Xena chuckled, and was answered with a questioning eyebrow. "It just seems good to know that we don't have to make plans to be together from now on. We just ARE! I am looking forward to many, many nights in your arms, without having to explain why I want to take a few days off to do so." He grinned, and drew her closer. Then he resumed his prior exertions and drove her to the point of climax. 

The End


End file.
